70 Arrested in 4-Day Prostitution Sting

Polk County sheriff's detectives wrapped up a four-day prostitution sting late Sunday night with more than 70 people arrested, including a probation off icer on sol icitat ion charges.

By STEPHANIE ALLEN THE LEDGER

WINTER HAVEN | Polk County sheriff's detectives wrapped up a four-day prostitution sting late Sunday night with more than 70 people arrested, including a probation officer on solicitation charges.

And, detectives are continuing to investigate a human trafficking charge involving a 16-year-old girl who was arrested on prostitution charges.

As of Saturday, deputies had arrested 20 men for soliciting prostitution, 28 people on prostitution charges, 13 people on charges of aiding and abetting or deriving proceeds from prostitution, and nine people on various other charges, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office has conducted several prostitution stings this year, and although many people were arrested during the latest sting, Sheriff Grady Judd said people are starting to learn to stay out of Polk County.

"Probably 80 (percent) or 90 percent of the phone calls or attempts we made, when they found out the location was in Polk County, they hung up," Judd said. "An overwhelming percentage of people just wouldn't come here."

Detectives posted and answered personal ads on websites, including backpage. com, from Thursday to Sunday. Backpage.com is an online classified ad site that has come under fire recently for its role in promoting prostitution.

The majority of people arrested during the latest sting are not from Polk County and more than half have criminal histories, with charges including attempted murder, child abuse, robbery and fraud, the Sheriff's Office said.

Six of the men who made arrangements to meet prostitutes and five of the people who solicited prostitution told deputies they were married.

One of the men arrested on soliciting prostitution charges was 32-year-old Justin Bachand of Lakeland, according to the Sheriff's Office. Bachand is a probation officer with the Florida Department of Corrections and allegedly asked an undercover deputy for protected sex in exchange for money, the Sheriff's office said.

Judd said his main focus during the latest sting, however, was to stop human trafficking.

Detectives arrested a 16-year-old girl who was brought to the location from Orlando by 20-year-old Stanley Benson, along with 26-year-old Amanda Parker to meet with an undercover detective, the Sheriff's Office said. The girl has not yet been identified as a victim of human trafficking, but Judd said detectives are investigating her situation.

"It's a quality of life issue in the county," Judd said. "We're not going to allow prostitutes to come here, violate the law, engage in human trafficking and create a health hazard."

Deputies also arrested 47-year-old Richard Sierra of Altamonte Springs on charges of soliciting prostitution and assault. According to the Florida Bar website, Sierra has been a lawyer for more than 20 years and is currently with the Kosto & Rotella Law Firm in Orlando.

Mark Graffrath, 50, of Lakeland, who was arrested on a soliciting prostitution charge, attempted to solicit the same undercover detective in 2008 during a previous sting, the Sheriff's Office said. This is his third time being arrested during a Sheriff's Office prostitution sting.

Also arrested on soliciting prostitution charges were: Christopher Havlicek, 43, of Palm Beach Gardens, who is the managing director for JP Morgan Chase Bank in Palm Beach; and Anthony Stevens, 50, of Groveland, who is a special education teacher at Groveland Elementary in Lake County, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office said a St. Petersburg couple, 30-year-old Terra Webb and 43-year-old Charles Kinsey, brought a 3½-month-old infant to the undercover location. Webb was arrested on a soliciting prostitution charge and Kinsey is facing a negligence charge, according to the Sheriff's Office.

"We caught a lot of people, but there's a whole lot more who will not come to Polk County because our detectives do such an outstanding job," Judd said.

"People can be sure of one thing, if they come here to Polk County and violate the law, we are going to put them in jail."

[ Stephanie Allen can be reached at stephanie.allen@theledger.com or 863-802-7550. ]